Suicide among U.S. women physicians, 1967-1972

Abstract

AMA [American Medical Association] records of the deaths of 751 women physicians during 1967-1972 were studied. A total of 49 (6.56%) committed suicide. The suicide rate for women physicians (40.7/100,000 per year) was higher than for men physicians and about 4 times that for white American women of the same age. From the known morbid risk for suicide among women with primary affective disorder, it was calculated that about 65% of American women physicians have primary affective disorder.